As mentioned in a previous blog post, SkySavers are for more than just fire safety. A SkySaver can be used to escape terrorism, an earthquake, and an active shooter. However, there is something that we neglected to mention. Permanently installed powered platforms are used for window cleaning, typically for buildings over 300 feet tall. There are currently between 500-700 in use throughout the USA, 70-80 percent of which are located in New York City.
This past November, two window washers were trapped 22 stories up a 30-story skyscraper in New York City on Fifth Avenue. The electricity died on the movable scaffold, which prevented it from being able to move up or down, trapping the workers. Luckily, FDNY crews rescued them and they were uninjured. The SkySaver 260 would have easily been able to lower the workers safely to the ground. This is just one instance of this happening, though. There have been others over the years, and a SkySaver would have been a simple solution for escaping a situation where one of these platforms gets stuck.
Obviously, the important thing is that neither of the window washers were harmed. Things could have been a lot worse. With SkySaver, these kinds of incidents can become a thing of the past.
